MIRACULOUS STORY OF PREMIE TWINS

[Anchor Lead]

Twin sisters whose survival could not be guaranteed because they were born too prematurely overcame all odds and celebrated their first 100 days on earth. This miracle was made possible by university hospital doctors and nurses who treated and cared for them with all their might. Here’s a miraculous story of premie twin sisters about to begin their lives outside the hospital.

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[Soundbite] "Happy 100th day! Happy 100th day!"

We are at the site of a 100th day party thrown at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The party is for Seon-mul and Yeol-mu, twin sisters born extremely premature in July. Their parents broke down in tears as they held the twins who stayed strong and overcame all odds.

[Soundbite] (Mother of Seon-mul & Yeol-mu) : "Stay strong. Thank you."

Just a 100 days ago, no one could guarantee their survival. They were born at only 24 weeks into pregnancy, 16 weeks earlier than a normal birth. They weighed 500 and 700 grams each and barely fit into the palm of an adult hand. They couldn’t breathe on their own because their organs hadn’t formed properly... and suffered a series of setbacks like shocks and hypoxia. The younger sister even underwent heart surgery only at one month.

[Soundbite] Kim Min-jeong(Head Nurse, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) : "Since we didn’t know how her condition would change, all the medical staff members had to stay super alert."

The medical team’s devotion was what helped the twins survive and get off the ventilators two months later.

[Soundbite] Prof. Lee Byoung-kook(Pediatrics Dept., Chungnam Nat’l Univ. Sejong Hospital) : "This was possible largely because of the parents’ faith and the babies’ resilience. Also, advanced medical technology helped out a lot."

The extremely premature babies’ survival rate was projected at only 40%. But they overcame these odds and are now ready to enjoy their miraculous lives.